5.5 M IC Blueprint GER 33

5.5 M sailing at its best....

Blueprint, GER 33, is a classic 5.5 M boat. She has been built in 1967 by the well-known boat yard Corsier-Port in Corsier/CH to a design of famous Swedish naval architect Einar Ohlson.

Photograph (copyright) courtesy of Wolfgang v. Meyerinck

Her maiden name was Pacha V, sail number SUI 103. Her initial owner was JP Clerk and she sailed for the CVL in Lausanne/CH. In 1974 she was then sold to Mr Fatio and renamed to Squale.

Somewhen around this time it had been decided to modernize her previous underwater body with a long keel and to reconfigure her design to a short keel. This job was done by Birbaum & Jaquet in Paudex/CH who owned her as a consequence of this job. Again she reveiced her old name >PachaIt is still not clear whether her rudder had been separated from the keel then or whether she has not been built that way already in 1967, as there are no indications that her rudder posts and bearings have ever been moved in the hull. The latter is very reasonable as her design is very close to 1968-built French Malloh Ru (FRA-40, ex SUI-88), which has a long keel plus separated rudder.

We bought her in the winter of 2001 and imported her into Germany. She then received sail number GER 33 and we christened her >BlueprintRainbirds.

She came back into service again for the first time in years at the German Open 2002 on Flensborg Fjord, still with her old set of Dacron/Mylar sails. It was an amazing feeling to sail a 5.5. M for the first time, something one never forgets.